Sheared barrel index pin

[MMcfpd]

I have a barrel with an index pin that's sheared off flush with the barrel extension (which looks OK).

Short of sending it off to someone like ADCO, what's the best way to remove the remaining pin? And then can I just tap another in?

It seems it's pretty soft metal (at least this one is). So now I'm thinking that perhaps I could put it in a drill press and use a small (1/16) bit to drill into it and either a.) it would spin loose or b.) I could start a screw in the resulting hole and pull it out that way.

That begs the question: how deep is the indexing pin hole below the surface of the barrel extension?

[Suwannee Tim]

If you go after it with a drill press you need to be very careful to set the depth stop appropriately or you will ruin the barrel. You should center drill the pin first. What I would try first is to hold the barrel in one hand and strike it with a hammer and try to drive the barrel off the pin using the momentum of the pin. It probably won't work but is quick and easy and free provided you don't hit the barrel so hard you damage it.

[MMcfpd]

If you go after it with a drill press you need to be very careful to set the depth stop appropriately or you will ruin the barrel.

That's exactly why I asked how deep the indexing pin hole might be.


What I would try first is to hold the barrel in one hand and strike it with a hammer and try to drive the barrel off the pin using the momentum of the pin. It probably won't work but is quick and easy and free provided you don't hit the barrel so hard you damage it.

I'm having a little trouble envisioning what you mean.

[Clint]

The pin generally does not go into the barrel.

I think it's 3/16" long.

[Suwannee Tim]

That's exactly why I asked how deep the indexing pin hole might be.



I'm having a little trouble envisioning what you mean.

1) Don't know.

2) Hold the barrel with in your left hand with the pin facing to the right. Hold the hammer in your right hand and strike just above or below the pin with a hammer so that the pin will be pulled from the hole by momentum. In other words you are trying not to pull the pin out of the barrel but pull the barrel off the pin. The barrel moves to the left but the pin wants to stay put due to momentum. I'd hit it a few times as hard as I dare without damaging the barrel and with a magnifying glass look to see if the pin moved a little bit. If so, keep trying, otherwise, stop, it ain't working.

Can the barrel extension be unscrewed by a shade tree gunsmith? If the pin doesn't go into the barrel, only the extension, you might unscrew the extension and knock the pin right on through.

[shadow65]

I had one fall out.
The pins are tapped in and stop at the barrel threads.
As stated, see if you can turn the barrel over so the pin is facing down. Strike the top of the barrel, close to the extension and see if it will fall out. If it does, just tap another pin in.
You may even be able to pry it out with a small blade screw driver.

[shadow65]

I wouldn't attempt to unscrew the barrel extension. For one, you need a special tool. For another, the extension is torqued from manufacturer, or should be.

[Eric D.]

For sanity's sake, somewhere like adco is your best option and shouldn't be too expensive; definitely less than a new barrel.

The very first thing I'd do is get some penetrating oil in there like PB blaster or kroil.

Typically, any kind of precision ground pin is made from very hard steel and you'll need carbide tooling to do anything to it. You can do a quick test: try to make a divot with a nail set or something. If you are able to drill it, you might try tapping the pin in something like an 8-32 thread and using an 8-32 screw to gain some extra real estate to pull it out.

[MMcfpd]

It's been soaking in Kroil for a couple of hours now. I guess I will try the whack it out method - nothing to lose there.

The metal appears to be fairly soft; investigating whether I might pry it out with a knife blade got a couple of little chunks off it (that might be at least partly because of the shearing damage).